Hydrogen Fuel - The Quest for Renewable Energy

 With all of the research and design that has been put into hydrogen powered vehicles by car makers and scientists alike, it is a pleasure to know that BMW is planning to introduce the first hydrogen powered vehicle to the general population this year - 2008.

BMW in Germany seems to be racing the other car manufacturers to the finish line. They are determined they will be amongst the first - if not THE first to put out a hydrogen powered car. Expect to see big changes from BMW.

General Motors were the first to claim they would put hydrogen fuel cars on the market. They made their announcement back in the year 2000. Back then, the general consensus was that it would take another twenty years before the idea became a reality. In 2004, BMW predicted they would have their first hydrogen fuel vehicle off the assembly line in 2008.

BMW has released pictures of their 7 series and they can found all over then internet. The best online places to find these cars are in automotive blogs. BMW has released their 7 series. The vehicle runs on hydrogen. BMW has kept its promise.

While BMW can be congratulated for meeting its own deadline and coming out this car of the future, there are some bugs to be worked out before hydrogen powered vehicles can be used by everyone. Hydrogen fuel is not so easily found. Hydrogen fuel stations are few and far between.

Areas of concern:

Storage - The gas lines we have now cannot be used to transport hydrogen fuel. The lines are made of steel and hydrogen has a negative reaction to steel. First, the government must make a new system that can be used to distribute hydrogen fuel exclusively.

Cost - Because of the time and effort it takes to produce hydrogen fuel, it is very expensive. As technology advances, we can expect the price of hydrogen fuel to lower. Until that time, the public will not be able to afford to drive a full powered hydrogen fuel vehicle.

Production - Producing hydrogen cells involves the use of a lot of fossil fuels. The infrastructure needed is extremely expensive to put into practice. It is estimated that it will cost as much as one trillion dollars.

Even with the concerns listed above, auto manufacturers are focused on using hydrogen fuel cells to provide power to cars instead of combustion engines powered by gasoline. The government is behind their efforts every step of the way.
Why is this so important to the U.S. government? Because once we have hydrogen technology in place, we will not be dependent on other nations for our oil. Another great reason for wanting hydrogen fuel cells is that they will benefit all of us by reducing carbon emissions and consequently, slowing down global warming.

Car companies and governments will continue to push on in their desire of hydrogen fuel as an alternative to petroleum based fuels. Because of this, we can expect that research and advancements will be accelerated. Necessity, after all, is the mother of invention.

We should all get behind the idea of using hydrogen fuel cells in our cars. We need to educate ourselves and implement the technology when and wherever possible. What we do now will have a big impact on the future of our earth.